It is the month which Muslims around the world await in great anticipation. It is the month of mercy, forgiveness, piety, love and brotherhood – it is the blessed month of Ramadhan ! 

In this 9^th month of the lunar calender, the final revelation to all humanity began to be revealed to prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him. “The month of Ramadhan in which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for humankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)” [The Qur’an, 2:185].  In addition to the Qur’an, other holy books were also revelaed in this month, such as the Torah to prophet Moses (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Gospel to prophet Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him).

Allah (Almighty God, in Arabic) has singled out this month with special virtues that are not present in any other month; it is therefore the best of the months in the lunar calendar. With regard to what Muslims do in Ramadhan, they seek to draw closer to God and strive hard in worship. Various kinds of worship have been prescribed for Muslims, these include the following: 

Fasting : This means refraining from food, drink, sexual intercourse etc from dawn until sunset. Muslims are not the only nation on whom Allah (may He be exalted) has enjoined fasting, other previous nations were also prescribed fasting. “O you who believe fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you can learn taqwa” [The Qur’an, 2:183].  The Arabic word ‘taqwa’ is translated in many ways including God consciousness, God fearing, piety, and self restraining.  Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) said: "Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action then Allah the Mighty and Majestic has no need that he should leave his food and his drink.".  Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) also said "Fasting is not merely abstaining from eating and drinking, rather it is abstaining from ignorant and indecent speech, so if anyone abuses or behaves ignorantly with you, then say: "I am fasting, I am fasting." So the Muslim who is fasting must avoid those actions which harm his fast, so that he can attain benefit from his fasting and attain the piety that Allah mentions in the Qur’an.

Prayers at night : Praying at night has a great effect in purifying and reforming the heart and soul, and is also a means of forgiveness.  Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of be upon him) said: “Whoever prays at night (qiyam) in Ramadhan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” 

Reading the Qur’an : Ramadhan is the month of the Qur’an, hence you will find Muslims reading the entire Qur’an during Ramadhan, and some of them might read the entire Book more than once. The Muslim knows that reading a single letter of the Quran brings a tenfold reward, and that reading a single page brings a thousand rewards. “This is a Book (the Qur’an), which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses, and that people of understanding may remember” [The Qur’an, 38:29].

Charity and feeding the poor :  Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most generous of people, and he was most generous in Ramadhan.  Prophet Muhammad encouraged Muslims to feed the poor and to give fasting people food to break their fast. He mentioned that the reward of the one who gives food to a fasting person to break his fast is equivalent to the reward of the fasting person, without that detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest.

But why do Muslims fast? And what do they gain from this month? We can conclude this in the following points: (a) It is a prescription from the Lord and Creator Whom they love (b) To help them learn to become pious (c) Forgiveness of previous ‘minor’ sins (d) Acquiring patience and strong will (e) Being more charitable since they are experiencing the feelings of the poor (f) Sensing the unity of the Muslim nation (g) Learning discipline.

Finally, Allah (may He be exalted) has enjoined a special charity to be given at the end of Ramadhan. This is called Zakaat al-Fitr, by means of which the fasting person offers expiation for any idle or obscene speech he may have uttered during his fast; it is also a means of feeding and helping the poor.   It is one of the means which make people feel the unity, cohesion and mutual compassion of the Muslim community.  Allah (may He be exalted) has also enjoined that those who have fasted should offer the Eid prayer, as a conclusion to these good deeds that they have done during Ramadhan, and as a way of bringing them together to express their joy and gratitude towards the Lord and Creator of the heavens and earth.  May Allah (may He be exalted) accept our deeds and forgive our shortcomings, Amen.

Abdullah Al-Qenaei 

PhD researcher

University of Bath